"lap band" for mom??

[magic8]

Hi Mermaid Sister!

Hi everybody,
Sorry I've been gone from this forum for so long, but I still read others' posts. And like I said, I am happy to share my experience with the lap band. First of all, I do not believe it is so wrong or bad to consider having surgery. Surgery is okay for some people, and it has saved a lot of lives. That said, yes, there are complications. However, the complications with the lap band are a lot fewer and less dangerous with the band vs. the gastric bypass. Also, I'd like to say that people who have had surgery belong on this forum just as much as anyone else who is using diet to lose weight. Your diet is what makes you lose weight whether you have the lap band or not. I would be sad to learn that we are not welcome here! I have just as much trouble eating well and exercising as all of you do, I promise. I would like to believe that Mermaid Sister and I are welcome here, because we do need help and support too. That said, here's my take on the lap band.

It was not difficult to be approved for the lap band. If you are significantly overweight, the doctors will do whatever they can to help you get approved by your insurance company, and the psychological pre-screening evaluation is not that rigorous. They ask you about your history of dieting, history of mental illness (I have a history of depression and anxiety and have been taking meds for both for years and years; I was still approved). They are mostly checking to see whether you are mentally capable of following instructions regarding the band.

As far as preparation: some doctors make you lose a little weight before the surgery so that the liver will shrink. If you are too big, the liver gets in the way of the surgery and can get damaged during the procedure. However, I didn't have to do this because I wasn't that large (according to the doctors). The day before the surgery you have to stay on a clear liquid diet and take a bunch of laxatives to flush out your bowels. You need to stay near a toilet all day long. The day of the surgery, I went in and immediately was put to sleep. The whole thing took about a half hour. (Mind you, things may be different for gastric bypass--I'm talking about the lap band only.) So the only thing I remember is talking with the anesthesiologist, and then waking up. I wasn't in any pain because they gave me morphine right away. I spent one night in the hospital, and they gave me liquid lortab (same as vicodin) regularly and had me on a clear liquid diet. It didn't hurt, but felt like there was some pressure in my abdomen. The worst pain (which was more like an annoyance) was some pain in my left shoulder that lasted for a few weeks after the surgery. I thought I must be high if I thought my shoulder was hurting after stomach surgery; however, I found out that most banders experience this pain. It's really gas pain, but you'd never know it because it's in your shoulder. This went away fairly quickly and was never excruciating. Deep breathing helps.

I had the surgery on a Thursday morning and was back at work the following Monday. I felt a little "tight", meaning that it hurt a little when I stretched my stomach muscles but was okay when I was leaning forward slightly. No real pain to speak of. After surgery you stay on a clear liquid diet for a week or so, and that's really difficult. You can eat sugar free jello or popsicles, juice, water, crystal light, but nothing that's not clear. After the clear liquid stage, you move to a "full liquid" diet. On that diet you can add soups to the list of things you can eat. After a few days on a full liquid diet, you can have soft cooked eggs. Then you move on to a soft food diet, where your food needs to be a little mushy. Finally you can eat a regular diet but still need to be careful about some foods (bread expands in your stomach and causes some pain). There are still some foods I cannot eat sometimes.

I know for a fact the surgery does work for some people, and I will tell you why I think it didn't work for me. The band makes you feel full really fast. After just a few bites, your hunger is gone. So if you are truly eating because you are hungry, this can help. I know several people who have had success with the band, and it helped them to eat "normally" and not overeat, and they also started exercising and now are at their goal weight. For me, my hunger is in my head, not in my stomach. And this is stomach surgery, not brain surgery! Yes, you can still overeat if you have the band. You cannot overeat meat and potatoes because they are too substantial, but you can overeat liquid-type foods like ice cream, chocolate, candy, and a lot of other stuff that can keep you fat. You can truly have as many milkshakes as you want, but you can't eat too much chicken. This is one of the reasons it didn't work for me. I didn't address my emotional issues, and found a way to "eat around the band". You just learn how to cope with having it and you can overeat anyway.

The purpose of the band is to tighten up the part of the stomach where the stretch receptors are. The stretch receptors signal the brain when the stomach is full, so that the person stops eating. Well, if you make them signal the brain earlier, you should theoretically get the person to stop eating sooner. Well, the problem is that the stretch receptors are very sensitive to hormones. One hormone, cortisol, is what wakes you up in the morning. When I feel that cortisol kick in, I cannot eat anything. It is very difficult for me to eat anything in the first several hours I'm awake. I drink protein shakes, but can't eat solids. Then I can eat something very light at lunch, and a light dinner as well. Then the trouble starts. By nighttime, my cortisol levels have dropped and other hormones have kicked in (I hear grehnlin or something like that is involved). This allows the band to feel looser, and I can eat whatever I want. I can eat it all, all the chips, candy, bread, ice cream, etc. I want and the band doesn't do anything.

So, in order to lose weight with the band, you have to do everything they say to do on this board. You need to make sure you eat enough during the day that you don't binge at night. Also, alcohol affects the stretch receptors, so if you want to eat a lot all you have to do is have a couple glasses of wine. This, in my opinion, is the main problem with the lap band--you can circumvent it's effects. You can wait until nighttime to binge, or have a few drinks, or just eat tiny amounts slowly throughout the day. If you feel subconsciously like you don't deserve to be thin, or if you hate yourself, or if you eat to cope with unpleasant emotions, you will find a way to do it with the band too.

On the plus side, the band is removable. The surgery is reversable, and the liquid in the band they use to tighten it (it's like putting saline into an inner tube around the top of your stomach, and the more saline you put into it the tighter the thing is). The surgery is not difficult, and the risk of complications are very low. This surgery is much, much, MUCH safer than the gastric bypass--there is no stapling or cutting or re-arranging of your intestines. And it DOES work for some people--people who get enough therapy to figure out why they overeat and learn some cognitive behavioral techniques to find other ways of comforting themselves, rewarding themselves, or coping, than using food. And it ONLY works when you are ready to follow the nutrition and exercise advice offered here on this forum.

I used to belong to a forum called LapBandTalk.com. You can find a TON of information there about the surgery and issues people have after having it. I prefer this forum, because I don't need to talk about my band anymore, I need to talk about my brain, my nutrition, my exercise, etc. This seems a better place to learn the behavioral changes, IMHO. I hope that people who jumped on you for wanting to discuss the surgery think a minute and decide whether we really don't belong here. We have just as much work to do as anyone else--probably even more. I would love to hear an acknowledgment that surgery is NOT an easy way out. It's just as hard as doing it with diet and exercise. Because you still have to do it with diet and exercise! The band is just supposed to be a tool to make it easier, and with me, it didn't make it easier enough! I tried to rely on my band alone, and tried to skip the hard work. But I've changed my mind now and am ready to work my butt off to make it happen.

BTW, I did lose 40 lbs. with the lap band and never gained it back. I still have 100 lbs. to lose, but who knows how much weight I might have gained had I never gone under the knife. At least I stopped the steady gain I've been experiencing since I was 25.

Mermaid Sis, you are old enough to make your own decisions when you have all the information, and I hope you think through the pros and cons thoroughly before having surgery. I would not have the surgery again, and would not recommend it to someone like me. However, if you are different and don't eat for emotional reasons and are just hungry a lot, then maybe it could be good for you IF you do all the work of dieting and exercise too. Again, I would like to believe I am welcome at this forum despite having had surgery. Even though I haven't posted in a while, I still visit here often and find support and encouragement here.

If you want to talk more or have more specific questions, please send me a private message or email me and I'd be happy to respond. Also, check out for people in various stages of the process. They will give advice as well. Good luck!

Magic

 

[magic8]

That is considered success?! Most people who do life style changes (hell even dieting) can lose more than that in two years.

That's interesting... they had to put low standards on "success rate".

Actually, a 10% loss in body weight (i.e. 28 lbs if you weigh 280) is enough to cause significant (statistically and clinically) improvements in health. Losing half of your excess weight is considered to be a huge improvement in health. And even though some people can lose that much with diet and exercise, some people can't keep it off. Surgery is not intended just to help you LOSE, but mostly, to help you maintain that loss. Diets are notorious for being good at losing but bad at helping people maintain over the long run.

And yes, all scientists provide operational definitions of variables, or as you said, standards on "success rate". Otherwise, what might be important to one researcher could be unimportant to another, and you can't just say "Treatment X was successful" unless you define what "success" means. And just because you believe their standard of success is low, doesn't mean that it doesn't have measurable and important positive effects on health.

 

[magic8]

And to add further to this thread mermaid... you aren't severely overweight. I would bet that a doctor would be up for malpractice if they did this surgery to you.

You have a point here. I personally weighed 277 when I had surgery, and I am a fit and comfortable size 12 at 180. In addition, I didn't have any negative health consequences from my weight (YET). I was surprised to see that my doctor told my insurance company that I had sleep apnea (I don't), joint problems and arthritis (nope!), and high blood pressure (Never been higher than 125/80) in order to qualify me for the surgery. I found out these things during a follow-up appointment where a nurse asked me, "So, how is your sleep apnea and arthritis coming along?" I said I have never had either of those, and she quickly changed the subject and moved along. So doctors often will report false health problems in order to get you the surgery. It's not just that they want the money, but they truly believe in the surgery and think it would help you avoid those problems in the future. Nevertheless, I know it is still considered fraud.

 

[magic8]

in the United States, you need to have SERIOUS psycho evaluations before you can have this type of surgery. And then training... most people fail in the evaluation and training periods because they aren't good candidates.

Untrue. The psych eval is easy to pass, as is the training. Most people do not fail, even when they are not good candidates. If you have the cognitive and physical ability to follow simple instructions, they will help you to qualify. Remember, the surgeons WANT you to have the surgery. They believe it works, and they want your money.

In addition, morbidity and mortality rates for lap band patients are very low. Also, they are lower and lower the healthier you are and the less you weigh. Surgery is much safer on a 250 lb. person than on a 350 lb. person.

 

[magic8]

If you don't have the willpower to stop eating the wrong things or the ability to change your eating habits, the effects of the lap band are temporary. They only act as a stop gap... you loose quite a bit... then gain it back because you don't know the value of a good and healthy meal. Your body adapts to the band and you can basically overcome the side effects of overeating (stretching the band itself).

I agree with this. But it's not that your body adapts to the band (your band does not stretch) but you can learn to eat around the band by waiting until night time to eat, or by eating liquidy foods like chocolate and ice cream.

 

[magic8]

This is forum dedicted to weight loss - the preferred method is thru healthy lifestyle changes and exercise.. the surgical portion of this website gets little activity...

I think it's lame that there is a "preferred method" of weight loss. People on this forum seem to tolerate people on different diets and eating plans. Why is one method preferred over another? Shouldn't the preferred method be whatever works for an individual?

And yes, you still have to lose weight through diet and exercise whether you have the band or not. The band is just supposed to help make the diet part a little easier. Really, we're all after the same thing here. I don't see how it is helpful or useful to tell someone how they must go about this very personal journal.

At the same time, I would most certainly seek information about surgery at either , or at .

okay, the websites look weird...try (one word) lap band talk . com or www . obesity help . com (one word)

 

[allyphoe]

The worst pain (which was more like an annoyance) was some pain in my left shoulder that lasted for a few weeks after the surgery. I thought I must be high if I thought my shoulder was hurting after stomach surgery; however, I found out that most banders experience this pain. It's really gas pain, but you'd never know it because it's in your shoulder.

Not gas as in intestinal gas. Gas as in the carbon dioxide they use to inflate you in any laparoscopic surgery to get a clear field of vision. Some of it remains in your body, and rises up to the highest place it can reach, which is your shoulder. Eventually, it gets absorbed back into you, and the pain goes away.

 

[magic8]

Hi Magic8 I would like to know more

what could you eat or couldn't eat? also did they give you a diet plan to follow even roughly while you had it? and do you still have it now or have you had it taken out?

I know I am taking a big step by considering this but I just want to feel 23 not 53!

I understand where you're at. I was desperate when I had the surgery, and I know the feeling of being willing to do anything. I didn't answer these questions in my previous posts, so here goes:

At first (after the clear liquid diet and full liquid diet and mushy food stages that you go through when you're healing), you can eat almost any food, but it's better if it's soft. I personally have a hard time with breads and pastas before about 10pm. Others I know have had a hard time with meat. But they want you to stay on a diet like the South Beach Diet. Lots of protein (even if you just have protein shakes) and no sugar. You can have sugar from fruits and whole grains, but not any other sugar. You can eat fat, but it should be olive oil, canola oil, or other heart-healthy oils. Basically, the diet they put you on is very much like South Beach, but you should eat exactly 3 times a day and no more, unless you are really starving. My doctor told me to try to eat solid foods as much as possible (an egg instead of a protein shake) because they will stay in your stomach and make you feel full for longer. So, an egg for breakfast, something like lunch meat and low fat cheese for lunch, and soft-cooked chicken or fish with veggies for dinner. That's supposed to be enough for you and keep you really full. The doc said that if I'm still hungry at night, to eat more of what I had at dinner. You can eat as much as you want of those foods, but you won't want to eat more soft cooked chicken breast. You'll be full enough. The challenge is not heading for the frozen yogurt at nighttime, for me. They will arrange for you to have a nutritionist to consult with for as long as you need (probably) and will encourage you to get a psychologist familiar with weight-loss/ bariatric/ eating disorder issues to help you along. Also, people who attend weekly support groups after surgery lose a lot more than people who don't (I don't remember the percentage).

I still have my band, and it still keeps me from eating certain things, especially during the day. If I eat too much, or take too big a bite, I will be in the toilet puking within 10 minutes. This is a problem sometimes, and is very awkward when you meet someone for dinner who doesn't know about your band and you end up going to the bathroom after every other bite. I'm sure people thought I was bulimic! However, I have stopped getting fills (when they inject saline into your port so that your band gets tighter. I feel like I'm tight enough (even though my doc would probably say I'm not because I can still overeat at night, and would want to make it tighter).

One thing I do love about the band (and why I would recommend it over gastric bypass) is that (1) it's removable/fully reversable, and (2) they can let the saline out of it if you happen to get pregnant so that you can eat more. At 23, you may want to have a kid one day and gastric bypass can keep your baby undernourished. The lap band can be loosened if you get pregnant, or if you decide that you don't want to feel the effects any more for whatever reason. It only takes 2 minutes to put the saline in or take it out (with a needle/syringe through a port in your lower abdomen), and it doesn't hurt at all. Then you can fill it back up after you give birth, or when you decide you want to try it again. That is helpful. Plus, the complication rate for a healthy 23-year-old is so low. You can look it up, but my doctor has performed over 2,000 lap band surgeries and had only 1 minor complication that was fixed immediately. Also, should you decide to go forward, I would recommend finding a doctor who has performed a ton of these. The more experience the doctor has, the lower the risk of complications. The other thing is that complications of the gastric bypass are far more severe. That involves actually cutting the stomach and intestines and re-routing the stomach to the colon so you just dump out everything you eat. For lap band complications, they are almost always easy to fix and non-life-threatening. The surgery is just so much more simple and easy, and recovery time is a fraction of that of gastric bypass.

Another tidbit about the gastric bypass: at first it works miracles because you don't absorb any of the nutrients (or calories) from the food you eat, and you will drop a ton right away (like 100 lbs. in 5-6 months even). Then your body, miracle worker as it is, will learn how to absorb the calories faster. It learns that it won't have long to get the nutrients out of the food you eat before the food passes out of you, and it adapts to get those nutients and calories FAST. That is why people with bypass surgery tend to start regaining weight after 2 years, and will continue to gain as time goes by, unless they truly have used the surgery to learn new eating and exercise habits. Look at Carnie Wilson. I believe that's what happened to her. You can only fool your body for so long. Amazing.

 

[magic8]

Not gas as in intestinal gas. Gas as in the carbon dioxide they use to inflate you in any laparoscopic surgery to get a clear field of vision. Some of it remains in your body, and rises up to the highest place it can reach, which is your shoulder. Eventually, it gets absorbed back into you, and the pain goes away.

That makes sense! It is very uncomfortable, but like you said, goes away on its own in time.

 

[1000Monkeys]

Gallstones

If you're looking for a really big stick to keep you on track, I can highly recommend gallstones. There's nothing like spending an hour or two throwing up and writhing on the floor crying to encourage you to skip that bite of high-fat snack next time. Too bad they can't be triggered at will.

Does this mean that you have attempted to live with the gallstones and avoid fatty foods? I only ask because I am scheduled to have my gallbladder removed next week.

At first I was told that a lot of people have gallstones and never had any symptoms and that sometimes that first attack might be the only attack. I started to diet in January (it took a few months to get an ultrasound to confirm the gallstones so I had already started to diet for myself before I knew for certain that I had them) and thus when my doctor recommended surgery I opted to wait and see. Between the diet, where I knew I would be avoiding high fatty foods anyway, and the chance that I may not get another attack I was willing to wait it out.

About a month or two ago I started getting attacks again and they have become more frequent. I have had five in just over a month and a half (but none in the last two weeks) and I was recommended for the surgery.

So, though it's too late to back out of the surgery now (not that I would want to, everywhere I go I am constantly aware of my upper right abdomen, is it getting tight? Am I starting to get a pain? I can't even go out to the cinema and enjoy a movie now without worrying) I am wondering how you managed with it?

I was/am lucky in that I never really vomited with them, though I have had attacks that have lasted over 9 hours of writhing agony. Do you get them often? Do you ever consider having the surgery?

 

[lisav]

Not gas as in intestinal gas. Gas as in the carbon dioxide they use to inflate you in any laparoscopic surgery to get a clear field of vision. Some of it remains in your body, and rises up to the highest place it can reach, which is your shoulder. Eventually, it gets absorbed back into you, and the pain goes away.

Have heating pads and someone to massage your shoulder post op.
It is no fun.

 

[Sairz]

I've had lap band surgery

Hi everyone,

Wow it's been just under a year since anyone posted in here, but it's still an open thread and I'm sure people read it so I thought I'd put in my 2 cents.

I am 25 and had lap band surgery when I was...21? 22? I can't remember. It was successful at the beginning for me, but then my emotional issues got in the way.
I've been a big girl my whole life, and I guess developed that sort of persona. People didn't tell me how good I looked or how beautiful I was and I've always been shy around strangers, particularly guys. Going to parties, walking into a roomful of strangers is really nerve wracking for me. So when I started losing weight and walked into a new year's party where I knew 2-3 people and one of them started shrieking at the top of her lungs about how amazing I looked, and that I'd lost so much weight it scared the crap out of me. I was used to not being noticed and didn't enjoy that experience of everyone in the party staring at me one bit.
So I started putting it back on.

With the lap band, there's no restrictions on what you eat, just like an diet you have to do that yourself. The food they want you to eat more often is bread and meats like steak because they're hard to eat, they make you feel full REALLY quickly, and if you try and eat any more you generally have to throw it up. That goes with whatever food you eat, there's a discomfort stage but if I eat too much I often have to find a bathroom. I used to do this a lot, not so much anymore which is SO much better.

Ice cream and chocolate etc, that stuff melts down to nothing when you eat it so it slides through the band easily and you can eat as much as you want. Which kind of isn't the goal, but if you're comfort eating then it's very easy to do.

I lost about 20kg before I started comfort eating, and DELIBERATELY sabotaging my weight loss cos it was too scary being thinner. It's 3-4 years later and I'm only 6 kg lighter than I was when I went in for the operation.

HOWEVER. If I had NOT had the band, I'm terrified to think of the size I would be, because the lap band DOES restrict my intake of foods, and I have to stop eating. If you're really determined, give it 10 mins and you can continue eating and eat the same amount of food that you would have, but you try not to do that.

The psych evaluations are important, I don't think I was the best candidate to be a SUCCESS with the band, but I do believe having it has helped me overall because I know I'd be a lot bigger than I am now without it. I should go to a therapist, I know this but I can't seem to make myself stick to one. At the moment I'm trying to make myself eat something in the morning and focus on exercise because it's just as important.

Really, I'm here because I'm looking for support in the weight loss journey, and regardless of having the band I'm going to have to do what everyone else does. Work on my diet and exercise.
Hope I helped someone, even if it wasn't those who last posted here.

 

[RLLC]

I am 57 years old and tried every diet and weight loss program out there. Weight Watchers, TOPS, Atkins, Low carb, High protein, South Beach, Curves, you name it I'ved tried it. The most I ever lost was 60 lbs, and every time it would all come back and then some. I'm sure you all know the story. After being approved for lap-band surgery in Missisauga, Ont, Victoria, BC, and Bellingham Wash, I finally decided to check out Victoria and was due to go for my first appt the next week. That same day my DR told me that the surgery was now being done here in town. So I started out with the help of my fitness instructor, Dr, dietition, physiotherapist and others to prepare for my surgery 12 weeks down the road. Everything moved along as I tried and succeeded to lose the weight to condition my liver for surgery. I lost 20 lbs before my surgery on April 21, 2010. Relearning how to eat and exercise was really hard and every day was a struggle. but slowly I could feel myself getting more fit. My Dr said I needed to lose 100 lbs, then told me that if I lost 60% of that, My surgery would be considered a success. Ever hopeful I pushed on and had the procedure done. I spent 1 night in Hospital, and went home with a 2 inch incision and 3tiny ones. I felt ok and stuck to my post-op diet of clear then full fluids. everything went very well. I had a small bump when I had lost 65 lbs, and thought that would be the end of the road for me, it had always been my fear that this would happen again, and personally I feel that it was mostly psychological, but with reassurances from my DR., nutritionist and councillor, I pushed on. So here it is 1 year later, and I have lost 73 lbs. I feel great, can run up and down the stairs, walk for an hour or more with no problems, and feel better than I have in years. I continue to be followed by my team and take solace with my "band buddies" that all had their surgery around the same time. So I guess what I'm trying to say is only have the surgery if you really have tried everything, and can go over your health records with your Dr. and see for yourself how your weight has gone over the years and if you really have tried everything, how much weight you lost and how long you stayed on your diet. Because dieting isn't the answer, lifestyle change is, the band is only a tool. Forget about finding ways to cheat, because you are only cheating yourself. You need to learn how and what to eat, keep up the exercise, and if you don't have a good support system, it will be extremely hard to succeed. I had to pay for my surgery; at the present time the bank owns my band, and I'm not prepared to give it to them.

 

[PLB]

RLLC, I'm so glad you've shared your experience with others who are looking for information on the lap-band surgery! I worked in a facility where we dealt with surgical weight loss clients and although I didn't have much direct involvement in the program, I was able to see both sides of the story, from the practitioners' view and the clients' view.

It's so important for everyone to understand that any surgery like this is not a quick fix... it's not like you will just magically feel less hungry.... It takes a while for your body to adjust to the new circumstances and it can be a very frustrating and sometimes risky process. After the surgery, the nutritional guidelines need to be followed, otherwise food won't stay down, your energy levels drop, you can become malnourished, etc.

I think the point was already made that you must make the lifestyle changes before you do the surgery. If you can't prove that you are willing to make those changes, surgeons have the right to choose not to do the surgery, due to the health risks involved in not making those necessary changes. Also, if you can make those lifestyle changes and start to see weight loss, you may end up not needing the surgery, which is the best case scenario! As you said, RLLC, the band should only be seen as a 'tool' for weight loss, not the whole answer.

I haven't read all of the posts on this thread yet, so before I say more, I'll read what others have said!

Cheers,

P.

 

[San2]

Always amazes me to see that people even consider this type of surgery, even nowadays where the data is freely available.

The list of side effects and complications that go with the lap band is as long as my arm (and I've got looong arms). There have been deaths caused by complications, and not just one or two. There are tons of people out there who had the surgery and either didn't lose weight, or lost a ton (simply because they couldn't keep any food down and were busy vomiting all day) and then put it all back on.

Been there, done that myself. I was stupid. I did believe that the band was the quick fix. I believed my surgeon who told me that it 'wasn't a big thing'. And I believed those people at the clinic who all looked happy and healthy and skinny.

I got the band and was sent home. For a week, it was okay. That was the week where I was on liquids only. Then I tried a bit of mashed potato, as instructed, and that was it. I started throwing up. Everything I ate came right back up. Then it got worse, and I couldn't keep liquids down either.

Went back to the hospital where I was told that it was all my fault and that I had done something wrong. They put me on IV to replace fluids, and on cortisone to bring the swelling down. The cortisone made me look as if I had put 100 lbs on.

Back home, after two small sips of water, the vomiting started again, instantly. In the end I slept on the rug in the bathroom, because I didn't want to get too far away from the toilet. I lost about 75 lbs in just over 4 weeks. By that time I was vomiting blood, and still, I had to demand from the hospital to remove the band, as they told me that it would 'get better'.

Once it was removed, it turned out that my stomach and my oesophagus were so swollen that there was simply no room for anything to pass through. I was on cortisone for 6 weeks before I could start eating normally. By that time, I had already put over 50 lbs back on from the mix of medication and the stuff they pumped into me.

Later on when I demanded my medical records, it turned out that I had flatlined twice during the surgery to remove the band, because my body was so dehydrated and weakened that it couldn't handle the anaesthetics. To this day I have stomach problems that are directly related to the lap band surgery. The scars, even though relatively small, aren't nice either.

I stayed in touch with people who had the band around the same time as me. NONE of them was successful. Out of the 8 I was in contact with, 3 had it removed within 3 months because of complications. 2 had it removed after 6 months. 2 had it removed after a year. Only one went the full duration (2 years in this case). She died a week after the surgery to remove the band (her husband told me) because the band had dug into her stomach so much that they had trouble removing it, and when they cut it to get it out, they perforated her stomach wall without noticing.

So yeah...those are things that you won't find in the statistics shown to you by the hospitals, and the doctors who sell you those bands. Because to them, it doesn't matter if it works. As long as they get the money for it.

Oh, and just for the record, I was convinced that I had tried everything before I went for the surgery. Every diet in the book, even diet pills and programmes, I had done it all. I was so convinced that I talked my doctor into recommending me, and I was so convinced that I even got the insurance to pay for it. It still wasn't true. I had tried every quick fix, yes, but I had never tried to change my lifestyle.

Two years ago, I did just that. Just ate less (nothing drastic), cut down on the junk, and started to do some exercise (mainly cardio). 12 months later I had lost 120 lbs. Without vomiting my heart out. Without collapsing while getting out of bed. Without having to sleep on a rug in front of my toilet, and without having to wonder every time I even had a sip of water if that would cause me to be in excruciating pain for a few hours. Without losing hair and looking like death warmed up.

And THAT is why I am against surgery. It's not a fix. It's not even a tool. It doesn't teach you anything, and even if you belong to the lucky ones that doesn't have the side effects that are possible, you can still cheat your way around the band. If you don't cheat, then that is down to you, your choices and your willpower, in which case you didn't need the surgery in the first place, and could have done it without having your body cut open and putting your life at risk.

 

[PLB]

Wow San, that's incredible. I truly hope that you're now OK and not suffering any ill effects from such a terrible experience!

I guess it just goes to show that as much as they try to tell you that there is a very statistically small chance that something could go wrong... it does go wrong. It happens to real people and can ruin lives.

So, really, is it worth the risk?

I'm gonna have to go with... no.

 

[Korrie]

wow, thanks for sharing that San! very scary! glad your ok, glad you're here with us to help spread the word of lifestyle change!

 

[San2]

I'm pretty much okay, even though I still have to be careful what I eat, and certain foods can make me feel pretty nauseous. I've been checked out a few times, and from the looks of it there is some scar tissue in my stomach lining which causes that.

I know I'm sometimes a little extreme when people ask about weight loss surgery, but I believe I have a good reason after all that. And I don't wish anything like that on my worst enemy. People need to be aware that there is a chance that things go wrong, and that it will seriously effect their life and their health.

While I had the lap band, I went on a two hour drive in the car to pick somebody up from the airport. To this day, I have no recollection of how I made it back, I was that out of it. The fact that I didn't crash and kill both of us is nothing short of a miracle.

And the thing is, I have done exactly what a lot of people say - I firmly believed that I had tried everything possible to lose weight, and that the surgery was the very last thing I attempted, but it honestly wasn't worth it.

I just wish doctors would tell people straight out what the risks are. ALL the risks, so people can make an educated decision, and not (possibly) put their life on the line for something that is simply not worth it.

 

[Korrie]

I just wish doctors would tell people straight out what the risks are. ALL the risks, so people can make an educated decision, and not (possibly) put their life on the line for something that is simply not worth it.

AGREED!! doctors just don't care anymore. My husband weighs over 400lbs and had MAJOR health problems last year...we weren't sure at the time that he was goign to make it. But with all the dcts we saw, NOT ONE told him he needs to lose weight! NOT ONE!

 

[dietdoc10]

Surgery?

Hello,
There is a great program out there that will less invasive then surgery. It is called the HCG Diet and it is a medically supervised program that will help your mom loose the weight safely, the doctors are wonderful and the nursing staff is great. The cost of the program is far less than surgery would be. I would love to talk with you more.